dedicated CD/SACD player anyone?

[cyberbri]

You might check out the Yamaha C750,under 300 bucks and i'm pretty sure its a better buy then the C2000ES.

Have you heard this one yourself? The Audioholics review seems pretty glowing for audio:
http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/YamahaDVD-C750DVDChanger7.php

I just got an Ascend/HSU package (sound=WOW!) and I am thinking of upgrading to a nicer unit for CD/audio. Hopefully $350 or under, but the Yamaha 750 seems to be quite a bit less than the Pioneer or Denon 1920 I'm looking at.

 

[j_garcia]

Have you heard this one yourself? The Audioholics review seems pretty glowing for audio:
http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/YamahaDVD-C750DVDChanger7.php

I just got an Ascend/HSU package (sound=WOW!) and I am thinking of upgrading to a nicer unit for CD/audio. Hopefully $350 or under, but the Yamaha 750 seems to be quite a bit less than the Pioneer or Denon 1920 I'm looking at.

Might want to check out the new Oppo 970HD. Looking to be the least expensive universal player at just $149, that should have a good picture too.

My concern with the Yamaha is that it didn't score so well in the video department.

 

[cyberbri]

I'm not concerned about the video quality, unless I would be using it as my new main DVD player, over my tweaked HTPC. My biggest concern is sound quality, and whether it would be enough of an improvement over my Toshiba/analog or DVD player/digital (my HK is 192/24-bit).

Apparently the Yamaha 750 can also have a code input into it to disable the region code, like my modded/chipped basic Panasonic DVD player used to play The Wiggles DVDs (and my CDs at night).

 

[j_garcia]

Well, if video isn't the priority, then I guess it is probably worth it. IMO, via digital you aren't going to hear a dramatic difference. By analog you might, but only if the DACs are significantly better.

There is also the Cambridge Audio Azur 540D which is supposed to be a great redbook CD and DVD-A player, decent video, and is region free out of the box. $269 at www.audioadvisor.com No SACD though. They do have a newer model that adds SACD but I haven't seen reviews of it yet.

 

[cyberbri]

If I'm going to buy something, I want to be able to get SACDs as well, to make it worth the full upgrade. The sound quality would also need to be a significant upgrade to justify the cost.

How do receiver 192/24-bit DACs compare to stand-alone players, especially the DACs found in HK receivers?

 

[j_garcia]

AFAIK, those DACs won't come into play if the receiver isn't doing the decoding, ie; when using analog from the player. The sound isn't passing through the DACs with SACD unless you pass it digitally, which means both receiver and player must have that ability. What receiver? For CDs, the 192/24 DACs will likely outshine most inexpensive DVD players.

You are welcome to come by my place and listen to my players to get an idea of what something in their price range is capable of (in exchange for the eventual Ascend/HSU session of course )

 

[cyberbri]

My receiver's the HK AVR330.
All 4 of my digital inputs are used up (although I have one more of each on the front), so I may stick to using the single-DVD player/digital for now, upon your input.

What "players" do you have?

And don't worry about the session. I'm breaking the speakers/sub in every night (if they actually "break in") for you.

 

[j_garcia]

I have a Sony 222ES SACD player and the Denon 2900 universal.

 

[flexodude]

You could try the Pioneer DV-578A-S or DV-588A-S, they both have SACD/DVD-A.

I have the Pioneer DV-578A-S and it sounds great, you can pick one up for around $100.

I ordered some cables from Blue Jeans Cable, so this should help make it sound even better.

 

[shokhead]

You could try the Pioneer DV-578A-S or DV-588A-S, they both have SACD/DVD-A.

I have the Pioneer DV-578A-S and it sounds great, you can pick one up for around $100.

I ordered some cables from Blue Jeans Cable, so this should help make it sound even better.

Then again,a good chance it wont sound any different at all.

 

[tomrowe125]

You may want to consider Sony's DVP-NS 9100ES; from the reviews I've read (Home Theater, June '06; The Perfect Vision, March/April '06; and Ultimate AV.com), it's an excellent-sounding CD-SACD player with a multitude of features. It can be set up using either the multichannel analog outs, with full bass- and speaker-management; or it can be connected digitally via i-Link with a compatible receiver or pre-pro; also, the video circuitry can be turned off, for audio-only playback. Lesser points; it's built like a tank (22 lbs.), and comes in either silver or black (my preference). It's a bit pricy at $1,300, though you may be able to find it for less. I already own a Pioneer DV-47Ai; and though it does pretty well with the 43 SACDs I currently own (6 rock, 37 classical), I'd like a step up as far as features go. The Sony allows for speaker-distance settings through the analog outputs; the Pioneer does not, so at the moment, I only listen in stereo. Also, the Sony allows you to change from multichannel to stereo SACD playback with a button on the remote; with the Pioneer, you have to go deep into the setup menu to do the same thing. I'm definitely looking at buying Sony's player at tax-time next year, as an SACD/CD player only (I'm keeping my Pioneer for DVD/DVD-A playback); eventually I hope to upgrade to a receiver with i-Link inputs for both machines (hopefully Denon's AVR-4806) in a couple of years. Good luck in your search!

 

[georgep]

I have a Sony 222ES SACD player and the Denon 2900 universal.

Do you use both for multi-channel analogue, and if so, are they hooked up to the same receiver?

Thanks.

 

[davee70]

Just for folks who follow that sort of thing, in a weak moment I bid on a Denon DVD-2900 .... and won! So that is my interim solution for now. Other than the minor difficulty I had setting it up (go here if interested: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=198771#post198771 ) I kinda like the player so far.

UPDATE: The 2900 definitely compares favorably on Redbook CDs to my trusty old "single-bit" Onkyo CD player. I'm able to distinguish individual voices in backing tracks that I was aware of before but could not quite make out.

I still plan to buy a dedicated CD/SACD player but it is going to cost me, $1000 or more. Then I'll have the Denon for the few DVD-Audio discs I have accumulated.